USPHS - Reserves??

You must forget what you know about active/reserve in context of military services when looking at USPHS.

All USPHS officers are commissioned as reserve officers. They are on active duty status, though. After two years of active service, you may apply for assimilation into the regular corps. This has to due mainly with a legislative stipulation that sets the number of slots open to regular corps and reserve corps officers.

If you have been an active USPHS officer and resign, you may asked to be placed in inactive reserve status. In this, you may choose to return (or you may involuntarily be returned, although I don't think that really happens) for short tours. For example, some inactive officers returned for short tours during Katrina or may do two week tours each year. For example, some people do a two week tour to cover staff shortages at Indian Health Service. Again, these are basically voluntary things. The inactive corps is mostly to stay connected to the service or during some transition, say while you went to graduate school full-time or something.

So, active officers are either regular corps or reserve corps. The reality is that it makes little difference, except that assimilation into the regular corps is considered an essential for promotion to higher (O-5/O-6) grades and a must if you were to go to the O-7 level or above.

Hope this helps. As I said, we do things differently than other services that have an active/reserve/guard structure.

Thanks...I am hoping that maybe one day they will get a drilling reserve situation whereas I could be in the USPHS but drill one weekend a month - two weeks in the summer ala DOD uniformed services. I really like what I hear about the USPHS but I also like my current job and just wish I could combine both..

Interesting that you say that. I learned today that there is discussion regarding this issue. Some high level folks have expressed an interest in developing an active ready reserve that would drill as does the guard and reserve components of the DOD forces. One idea thrown out was to attach the officers to Army and Air Guard or Reserve units in order to strengthen ties in anticipation of working with such units during disaster relief; many USPHS officers were detailed to such units during Katrina.

As I said, this is discussion and may be years away.